Father Matthew

In a recent speech at Brooklyn, Long Island, Mr. Lewis Tappan, of New York, stated that, while attending the World's Convention, he had an interview with Father Mathew, andalthough an old temperance man himself, received the pledge from him anew, ard a present of a handsome medal: Fat her Matthew stated to him that he was himself induced to take the pledge by the persuasions of one William Marti, who had for a long time been urging him to do so. He was at that time a humble, obscure Catholic priest, and soon afier he had signed, he begnn to preich upon.the subject to bis little flock. At first, only a few of liis congregation came:o him to receive the pledge - then others ïbout the neighborhood- ihen they began to ;omc from places ten.fift.cen and twenty miles iistant. He finally concluded ihat it would be ltss trooble for him to go to the peoplc than it would for the people to come to him, and he bogan to mnke short excursions about the country, adminislcring ihe pledge to those ivho were willing to receive it . He was tlien invited to Limerick, and upon arnving there, instead of finding four or five hundrcd people to speak to, as bc expected, there were ',wo hundred Ikovsand ossembled, anxiously xwaiting his arrival. Hts Bishop, seeing the jrcat exciícment he was producing, went and remonstrated wilh him, and tokl him he was Jeparling from the line of his duty. 'Don't you know,' suid the Bishop, 'that the jmbli■:a7ts do more to sustain our religión than anybody else?' 'Ves,' replied Father Matthew, 'and I know that yovr brother is the grealest iisliller in the country, and I know too, that it is more important to secure the health, and lappmesF, and peace of our people, than it is o build up the Roman Catbolic Religión.' - Finding that he had notliing but opposition o expect from his Bishop, he immediatcly tvrote to Ihe Pope, who sent him back a highy letter, yvtui .. -.„„baion apjainting hitn 'Vicar Apostolic,' wincn loiü ïim entirely out of the jurisdiction of the Bishop, and made him responsible for his conluct to the Pope alone. Father Matthew 'oíd Mr. T. that three-fourths of tke people of Ireland had taken the pledge, and that not more than one in five hundred had broken it. The number of Mr. T.'s certifícate was 5,281, 92 1 ! ! In adimnistering the pledge, the people, men, women and children, kneeled ;!own in a row, ard the women in rising,would often hold up their babes for Fnther Matthew to kisswhich he invariably did, akhough their little faces were often rathér smutty. He would plovgh dirt lu do good, he said, at any time: Mr. Tappan asked him what would be ihe result, in bis opinión, of the present repeal ;novement to the people of Ireland? He answered, very significanlly, (for he is a man of Tsw words,) "Tlicy will get equal laics sir.''